Tag Archives: cancer

Drug Shortages Affect More Than Half A Million Cancer Patients

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Drug Shortages Affect More Than Half A Million Cancer Patients : Shots – Health Blog : NPR.

Persistent shortages of life-saving drugs led President Obama to issue an executive order last month to try and ease what one administration official called a “dire public health situation” that has created problems for patient care.

So far this year, short supplies of more than 200 drugs — treatments for conditions ranging from cancer to high blood pressure — have been reported.

How many U.S. patients have been affected? Try 550,000 cancer patients alone for the year that ended June 30, according to a new analysis from the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics.

The analysis made use of the IMS database of U.S. prescriptions and lists of shortages from the Food and Drug Administration and the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

More than 80 percent of of the drugs in short supply are generics and are injected, rather than given as pills. The top three categories of conditions for which the drugs are used: cancer, infections and cardiovascular disease.

Most of the drugs have only one or two companies making them, so problems in production can have a dramatic effect.

“For 75 products there’s a shortage of the product regardless of the supplier” situation particulars, says Murray Atiken, head of the IMS Institute. The supply of those medicines has fallen 20 percent in recent years. One example is the supply of injectable furosemide, a treatment for congestive heart failure, which has fallen recently by about 22 percent from its historical average.

There’s another type of shortage, in which “the overall supply of the product may be stable or even rising” but there is volatility due to changes at individual suppliers. Take cisplatin, a workhorse in cancer treatment. The total supply is up but it’s volatile, such as when volume dipped after one company stopped production last year, the IMS report says.

IMS has joined the chorus recommending a better system to warn hospitals, doctors and pharmacists about shortages while there’s time to take action, such as finding alternative medicines.

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BBC News – Light ‘promising’ in cancer fight

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BBC News – Light ‘promising’ in cancer fight.

Can light cure cancer?Light is a “promising” tool in the fight against cancer, say researchers in the US.

A study, published in Nature Medicine, showed how a drug could be created which sticks to tumours, but is then only activated when hit by specific waves of light.

It means a treatment can be highly targeted and not damage the surrounding tissue.

A cancer charity said the treatment showed early promise.

Currently, treatments for cancer can be separated into three categories: blasting it with radiation, surgically removing a tumour or using drugs to kill the cancerous cells. All have side effects and scientists are trying to come up with more precise therapies.

In this study, researchers at the National Cancer Institute, Maryland, used an antibody which targets proteins on the surface of cancerous cells.

They then attached a chemical, IR700, to the antibody. IR700 is activated when it is hit by near infrared light. This wavelength of light can penetrate several centimetres into the skin.

“Start Quote

This potential treatment has promise”

Laura McCallum Cancer Research UK

To test the antibody-chemical combination, researchers implanted tumours, squamous cell carcinoma, into the backs of mice. They were given the drug and exposed to near infrared light.

Shrinking tumour

The study said: “Tumour volume was significantly reduced… compared to untreated control mice and survival was significantly prolonged.

“This selective killing minimises damage to normal cells.”

The authors said the combination was “a promising therapeutic and diagnostic agent for the treatment of cancer”.

“Although we observed no toxicity in our experiments, clinical translation of this method will require formal toxicity studies,” they added.

Dr Laura McCallum, Cancer Research UK’s science communications officer, said the research was promising.

“Using antibodies or photodynamic therapy to specifically target cancer cells have both been successful for treating some cancers, so combining the two together is certainly an exciting plan.

“But it’s important to remember that this work was done in mice, so it’s much too early to tell if it will work in people with cancer.

“This potential treatment has promise as scientists – including our own – are also looking at using antibodies to deliver other knockout punches, such as radiation, directly to cancer cells.”

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Wyoming men grow mustaches to raise awareness for men’s health

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Wyoming men grow mustaches to raise awareness for men’s health.

CASPER, Wyo. — It took Rick Montoya only seconds to shave off the mustache he’s kept for at least 15 years.

He sat for a moment, contemplating his newly bare skin. Then, for good measure, the 32-year-old grabbed a beard trimmer and removed his goatee as well.

“It definitely feels different,” he said afterward.

Montoya and more than a half dozen other men will be growing mustaches over the next month to promote men’s health. They started Tuesday with a clean shave at University of Wyoming Family Practice in Casper.

“I wasn’t coming in planning on shaving it, but might as well,” said Montoya, one of several students from Rocky Mountain Academy of Hair, Skin and Nails who helped in the effort. “It seemed like a good enough reason to cut it.”

Wyoming Cancer Resource Services organized the “Movember” campaign, which uses mustaches to encourage men to take charge of their health, said Jillian Riddle, the group’s program manager.

Men have shorter life expectancies than women and are a more likely to be diagnosed with cancer. They’re also less likely to visit a doctor.

“We really want to bring awareness to that and show men there are things you can do, preventative measures, to increase your chances of living longer,” Riddle said.

In addition to bringing awareness to men’s health, Movember raises money for cancer programs. The organization has become the largest nongovernment contributor to the Prostate Cancer Foundation, Riddle said.

The Movember campaign started in Australia and has spread to 10 other countries. This is the first year it’s been held in Casper. It will culminate with a Dec. 3 Moustache Bash at Galloway’s Pub.

“By the end of the month, the mustache will become the ribbon for men’s health,” Riddle said.

Dr. Andy Dunn is one of the men growing mustache as part of Movember. As a resident in the University of Wyoming’s Family Medicine Program, he’s observed how resistant men can be to addressing health concerns.

Male patients tend to be less forthcoming in the exam room, Dunn said. Some are embarrassed to talk about health issues. Others think they are invincible.

He’s hoping the campaign will help men become more comfortable with visiting the doctor.

“It’s such a big issue,” he said. “And I don’t think it is talked about enough, especially in a primary care setting.”

Dunn’s never grown a mustache before. He’s a little concerned about how he’ll look, especially with the holidays approaching. But he expects the effort will pay off.

“I’ll get some jokes, but it will be fun,” he said. “It will be worth it.”

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